Wi-Fi is the key to internet telephony

By Duncan Graham-Rowe

THE idea of using the internet to make free phone calls is getting more popular by the minute. But while “voice over internet protocol” (VoIP) phones can save money, having to use a computer for all your phone calls is hardly convenient. That’s about to change with the launch this year of cellphones with built-in Wi-Fi capability that link to low-cost internet connections, and a new breed of landline phone that plugs straight into a broadband internet connection. Together these are expected to be the killer development that brings VoIP into the consumer mainstream.

VoIP is a way of conveying phone calls by breaking down voice signals into digital packets and sending them over the internet. Like emails or any other internet data, they are routed round the net to the internet protocol (IP) address of the recipient. Unlike traditional calls, which tie up a dedicated line for at least

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